A/N: I was very sick last night and could not post yesterday's prompt. Well here it is:)

I do not own Inuyasha or Goblin: the Lonely and Great God


~Sunflower Fields and Roadtrips~

Sunflowers and Kitsune


Kagome tapped the lip of the well. It'd been two years since it had sealed, but still she found herself lingering to it every so often to check and see if the gates of time had been opened again to her. It disturbed her, the idea that all that remained of the Inuyasha forest and the Kaede's village was her family's shrine and the Goshinboku. Memories of her friends lingered here as much as her desires to return, and it hurt knowing the likeliness of seeing them again was very low.

Her hand reached to the pocket inside her school skirt and she pulled out the small package of matches that she kept there. She struck one and blew it out swiftly—scared that it would burn the tips of her fingers. There was a woosh of air but no other signal to tell her the signal had worked. Turning around, she found Sesshomaru leaning against the wall of the well house, a book in his hand. All his focus seemed poured into the literature, his eyebrows raised slightly when he flipped the page. He glanced at her briefly before returning to the words on the page. Unlike the other times, he didn't seem annoyed or upset, so that was progress.

"It may surprise you," he finally spoke, shutting the book slowly. "That this Sesshomaru is a busy man. Please refrain from summoning one such as myself again."

"I needed to talk to you," Kagome sighed, ready for his arrogant outburst at any moment. Perhaps they had not made any headway after all.

He looked at her and then the well, he brow cocked and he looked at her skeptically. "There is no honor in jumping down there, in case that was your question."

"Haha, funny," she snorted, her hands ran over the old wood. "This was how I ended up back there…you know back when you were younger, old man."

"Testing," he warned before nodding to her to continue.

"It's closed now and I can't go back…haven't been able to go back—two years on this day." Her fingers traced along the edge, as if waiting to feel that familiar surge of power that told her the well was alive again. "And I wanted to know if there was any way you could open it."

The goblin's tilted his head in disinterest.

Kagome tried another tactic. "Well, I mean, I'm sure someone like you could do it. You know, what with all that amazing power so a strong and might goblin has."

With a jeering snort, Sesshomaru shook his head. "If you believe that flattery works on one such as I, woman, you are very wrong."

Nevertheless he walked in front of the wooden structure and rested his hand next to hers. Peering down into the mouth, his grip tightened on the rim and he started to focus. Around the well he could feel the trapped power that the Miko had been talking about. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and tried to force the time gates open, however he found his abilities met with a strong wave of purification. While he was no longer affected by such troubling things, he recoiled nonetheless.

Humming, he stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "It is closed and sealed."

"I was afraid of that," she exhaled, her expression fell and became crestfallen. "Thanks for trying, Sesshomaru."

He blinked, finding that this somber display did not fit the girl at all. "Who do you miss the most? The kit or Inuyasha?" The words tumbled out of his mouth faster than he could realize.

Kagome shot him a surprised glance. "What do you mean?"

"This Sesshomaru means what he said. Who would you prefer to see at the current moment?" Trying not to roll his eyes, he held his hands out as if for her to pick which one.

"I…I don't know," she whispered, her eyes flashing back to the day she and Inuyasha had fallen through the Meidou. "I didn't really get to check on Shippou…to make sure he was okay. Can you take me to both?"

With a sigh, the goblin shook his head. "This one, on this matter, is not trying to be cruel. But for the moment, it would be best if you should only see one."

The quiet that settled between them, unsettled him. In the time that he had known the girl—which given the circumstances, was a long time—she had always been chatty. Always ready to talk to anyone who had an ear. Not that was a necessarily bad thing, just for him. But the way her hands rubbed her cheeks worriedly as her eyes flicked to the ground as she thought, it bothered him.

"Today…will you take me to see Shippou?"

Her focus had returned to him and her lips seemed drawn.

A nod was his response. He held out his hand, to which she grabbed hesitantly. Sliding open the door to the well house, he stepped through with her. Their feet landed on the tile floor of his house and the walked in, closing the door behind them.

"Given where the kitsune is, it is better if we drive there."

"Is it far?" she asked, following him down the hall, and out the front door where one of his many fancy cars waited.

"A half hour," he responded curtly, unlocking the vehicle. "Get in."

She slid into the car after opening the door, and closed it behind her. Sesshomaru started the car and pulled out of the driveway, driving out onto the road and away. Kagome's sight never left her side window, feeling a tense silence between them. She had only known him, the current him, since she had gotten stuck on this side of time.

"Do you listen to music?"

His voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, and she turned her focus to him. He pointed to the glovebox, his gaze never leaving the road. Although a smug smirk seemed to twitch along his lips.

"This Sessomaru has many CDs in there. Classical music to latest current pop songs. If you wish to put something on, there is no complaint from me," he stated, tapping his fingers along the wheel.

Kagome smiled at his display, but shook her head. "It's alright Sesshomaru. I like the silence."

His proud expression disappeared, but the corner of his lip quirked just a bit. Perhaps she was not as talkative as he remembered. He continued to lead them to where the kitsune lived, or where he remembered the trouble maker to live. The city began to disperse and turn into country side instead. Trees and rice fields lined the sides of the road, and Kagome watched them with ever eager eyes. Unlike earlier, the hush between them comforted him. It was amiable and something he found he enjoyed. The goblin admitted, since he had found Kagome two years ago, he enjoyed their friendly excursions and companionship. Her being predicted to be the goblin's bride had been brushed back to their worries and instead, the focused on anything other than that. While he relished the idea of pulling the sword from his chest, he found that for some reason he desired to linger just a bit longer.

A squeal caused him to pull from his thoughts and set himself on alert.

"What is it woman?" He demanded, scanning the road for any sign of danger. He found none.

"Sesshomaru, look at all the sunflowers!" She gasped, pressing up against the passenger door window. "There's so many of them! Please, can we stop to look."

"As pleasant as that would be," he found that his voice sounded irritated. "The kitsune runs a tight schedule. We must hurry if you are to catch him."

"Oh." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "Okay."

He disliked the disappointment that lowered on her, but he wasn't lying about the tight schedule. She would see. Then perhaps she wouldn't be so down.

The car began to drive in to a long winding driveway, and for some reason it seemed familiar to her. As they began to rise over the crest of the hill, Kagome's face lit up and she recognized where they were. The kitsune school. Memories of the silly pranks played on her, Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha flooded her mind and she laughed, covering her mouth. So this was where Shippou was.

Sesshomaru parked by the pool and left the car running. He stepped out and watched with a lifted brow and internal amusement as Kagome nearly jumped out. She looked all around with high anticipation.

Together they walked up to the front door, Sesshomaru swirling the lavender plumes of smoke around them as if to shield them from any unwarranted tricks. He knocked on the large wooden doors. It didn't take long for them to swing open.

A young man stood there, four tawny foxtails wavering flashily as he smirked—a fang curled over his lip. His ginger hair was cut below his ears, much in the same way as Sesshomaru's was in the back. However, he had no bangs, and his hair at the front of his was neatly cropped and cut close to his hairline. It seemed almost modernly professional. He wore large brown hakama, and a dark green kimono with a blue haori.

He laughed when he saw Sesshomaru. "So the great and mighty Goblin returns! You haven't been down here in fifty years. I hope it's not another complaint you have."

"Hardly," the goblin crinkled his nose, miffed. "This Sesshomaru has brought a friend."

"This Sesshomaru has brought a friend," the kitsune copied annoyingly, before turning to look at Kagome. His mocking expression dropped and was replaced with surprise. He ran his fingers through his short ginger hair, his green eyes disbelieving. "Kagome?"

"Shippou?" Her voice was shaky and hopeful.

The embrace was sudden, but neither one of them complained. He held her close and nuzzled his nose against her shoulder. She shook against him.

"You're so big!" She whispered, her eyes starting to tear-up.

"And you look almost exactly the same," he answered, hugging her tight.

Kagome turned to look at the white-haired goblin. "I…Sesshomaru thank you."

He inclined his head and blinked. "You two have much to discuss before the rats return."

"The kits are out on holiday," Shippou explained, looking down at Kagome. "They'll be back later tonight."

"I will return before then to pick you up," Sesshomaru stated, before walking away. No longer in their sights, he returned to the car and smiled. He could still hear their excited chatter. While they were busy talking, he figured he would go pick some sunflowers.


A/N: Thank you to all of you! Don't be afraid to leave a review

Takk fyrir, lovelies